On 20 December 2018, Marcel Hirscher became the most successful Austrian World Cup ski racer ever. His 63rd career win, a slalom on his home hill in Saalbach-Hinterglemm, broke the record of 62 victories that Annemarie Moser‑Proell had held since 1980.
A treacherous surface
The Schneekristall course had weak snow under an icy top layer on the lower section. Organisers delayed the second run 15 minutes to harden the slope with water and salt. Thirty-two starters, including every American, could not complete the first run on that punishing surface.
Runner‑up Henrik Kristoffersen called it the worst conditions of his World Cup career. Hirscher carried a big first‑run lead through the chaos and won by 0.38 seconds over Loic Meillard, with Kristoffersen 0.47 back in third.
The record falls
The win came days after his 62nd victory in Alta Badia drew him level with Moser‑Proell. It was his fourth straight slalom win and his ninth in the last ten. On the all‑time list only Ingemar Stenmark, with 86 wins, and Lindsey Vonn, with 82, had more.
Moser‑Proell praised her successor on Austrian television. “We have never seen such a perfect ski racer before,” she said, adding that the achievement stood firm even though the eras could not be measured side by side.
The circle closes
“As a kid I have competed in regional races on this hill,” Hirscher told reporters. “These are great memories. The circle closes here.”
About 6,500 fans filled the finish area in his native Salzburg that evening. The seven‑time overall champion was building toward an eighth title, but for a moment the story rested where it had first begun.
